The United States has offered to provide intelligence, air, and command support to a potential European-led security force in postwar Ukraine, according to European and Ukrainian officials cited by the Financial Times.
President Donald Trump told European leaders last week that Washington would take part in the “co-ordination” of security guarantees sought by Kyiv, a step designed to deter any renewed Russian aggression once a peace deal is reached. While the U.S. remains unwilling to deploy its own troops, senior American officials have conveyed to European counterparts that Washington is prepared to contribute “strategic enablers,” including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), command and control, and air defence assets.
The Financial Times reported that the proposed U.S. support would form the backbone of a European-led mission spearheaded by the UK and France. The plan envisions tens of thousands of European troops stationed in Ukraine, supported from the rear by American aircraft, logistics, and ground-based radar, enabling a no-fly zone and robust air shield.
Washington already supplies Kyiv with Patriot air defence systems. But its vastly superior satellite monitoring, command structures, and intelligence-sharing capabilities would be critical to enforcing any ceasefire and coordinating allied forces on the ground, officials said.
This stance represents a significant shift from earlier this year, when the Trump administration ruled out any U.S. involvement in postwar security guarantees. European governments, which have privately acknowledged that their own deployments would be untenable without American backing, have spent months lobbying Washington to adjust its position.
Still, officials cautioned the U.S. offer remains contingent on Europe committing troops and could be withdrawn. Some senior figures within the administration, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, remain sceptical, warning of the risk of being dragged into a future conflict.
The discussions follow a White House meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders earlier this month. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, later confirmed the FT’s reporting, calling the talks a “breakthrough point” that clarified U.S. and European roles in a future security framework.
“Indeed, the U.S. can provide the backbone that makes the whole security and deterrence architecture work,” Yermak said, noting that each coalition country would contribute differently, blending military, political, and economic support.
Despite U.S. backing, European officials face domestic political resistance to committing brigades to Ukraine, while Moscow and Kyiv remain deeply divided on territorial control and the scope of any peace settlement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that Russia must play a role in security guarantees — a demand Ukraine has rejected outright.
For now, Trump continues to push for a peace deal but has acknowledged specifics of postwar guarantees are still unsettled. “We’ll be involved from the standpoint of backup,” he told reporters. “We’re going to help them.”
